Kif in the Rif - Chefchaouen, Morocco

Above Chefchaouen, Morocco

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Well, Kif is the Moroccan term for drugs... or in particular - hashish.  Apparently, the little town called Chefchaouen that we are in, up in the Rif mountains is actually now the hash capital of Morocco.  I have been told that it is being grown and farmed up in the mountains above town by the villagers.  It is very apparent in town also, as today was actually a good day, and I only got offered hash about 10 times.  Michelle is free from the hassles because they do not offer it to the women here!  Lucky Her.  But in actuality, the guys are not really shady characters that you would imagine, they seem quite normal and nice, and it is a part of the culture here - that's why the police turn a blind eye to it all.

Blue and White alleys

Other than that, this little blue and white-wash town is very quaint and peaceful.  I visited here 10 years ago, and at the time, it was a nice break from all the touts you get in the rest of Morocco.  Well, things seem to be busier here with tourism and it is noticeable that there are more touts and shops, but still quite relaxing.
Chefchaouen is a town built on the hillside.  It's medina is a series of steep streets and alleys, and as I stated before, is painted in mostly blues and whites which gives the town quite a fresh feel and look.  It is really pleasant to just walk up and down and get lost in all the blues!  There are some great little restaurants in the maze of streets, and around the main plaza and Kasbah.  These restaurants serve up some delicious tajines and couscous dishes, all with a chillout sort of theme!
Unfortunately, the weather was not very cooperative during our time here - it rained most days and made the steep painted streets and alleys quite slippery.  Therefore, we didn't really get a chance to do much in town.  We did have a nice little hotel called Mouritania, and we spent some time there chatting with other travellers.

Chefchaouen houses as seen from the Mosque

On a break in the weather we managed to hike up to what was described as a ruined mosque on the hill overlooking town.  When we arrived at the mosque, it was definitely not ruined and had magnificent views looking back over town.  As is our usual fashion, we continued hiking past, and trudged through some small paths alongside little houses and farm fields to another mosque further away, but did not attempt any mountains.  Parker and I had attempted some of the mountains before, but we couldn't find the correct paths and the heat finally turned us back.
So, after a few days, we left relaxed Chefchaouen and headed for the capital of Rabat in search of better weather to the South.  *Stub

The Kasbah as seen from high above in the town